The Pope County Quorum Court convened for the first time in 2013 and welcomed eight new justices of the peace Thursday evening.

Pope County Judge Jim Gibson welcomed everyone and said he feels confident the court will have a productive year and will “act in the best interest” of everyone in the county.

Justices attending their first meeting were James Kusturin Jr., Doug Skelton, Bill Sparks, Blake Tarpley, Ben Cross, T.J. Curtis, Jackie Heflin and R.E. Hodges. They were informed they will be paid bi-weekly, and each are allowed to miss only one meeting during an 11-month period without a pay adjustment.

Treasurer Donna Wall informed the court that the county has a balance of $598,000, which exceeded her previous estimation by roughly $112,000. Wall said there is an estimated $6,000 turnback from sales tax revenue.

Tax payments from two utility companies, which paid taxes in protest, were released to the county and approved for distribution as of Dec. 31. Gibson asserted most of the money “will go to public schools.”

Gibson told justices that Jeff Phillips has entered into a contract as lawyer for the quorum court. The appropriate budget allows approximately $583 a month for legal fees and is valid for six hours of consultation during the next two months. Phillips is required to attend regular and special court meetings.

Pope County Sheriff Aaron DuVall filed a request for filling a vacancy within the sheriff’s office, but withdrew his request prior to the meeting. He told The Courier “we will make due” with the current staff for the time being.

In other business, the court:

n Is considering talks of a reimbursement plan for expenditures made by Gibson during the process of pursuing a legal case with the Arkansas Supreme Court. His current expenses are nearing the $9,000 mark.

n Was told budget requests must be turned in by noon Wednesday prior to monthly budget meetings.

The Pope County Quorum Court’s next regular meeting will begin at 5:30 p.m. Feb. 7.